господьнь

Forms

господьнь (gospodĭnĭ) adj., possessive^[1][2]

• In the manuscripts it is usually abbreviated under a titlo, as гн҃ь, гн҃ѣ.^[3][1]

Etymology

It is the possessive adjective of господь (“lord”), formed from Old Church Slavonic господь (gospodĭ) + -ьнь (-ĭnĭ);^[4][1] ESJS lists it among the derivatives of the noun, with the meaning “the lord's, the Lord's”.^[4][1] Sadnik and Aitzetmüller place it in the same word family, with господьскъ, господьство and госпожда.^[5]

The base noun is inherited from Proto-Slavic *gospodь (“lord, master”),^[4][6][7] which Wiktionary traces through Proto-Balto-Slavic *gástipatis to Proto-Indo-European *gʰóstipotis, a compound of *gʰóstis (“guest, stranger”) and *pótis (“master, lord”).^[7] ESJS and Sadnik and Aitzetmüller take the first part as the word that gave гостъ (“guest”) and the second as the Indo-European word seen in Sanskrit पति (páti, “lord, husband”), Latin potis (“able, powerful”) and Lithuanian pàts (“husband, self”); the nearest parallel is Latin hospes (“host, guest”).^[4][5][8][6] The same noun is Russian господь (gospodʹ), Bulgarian Господ (Gospod), Serbo-Croatian gȍspōd, Slovene gospọ̑d and Polish gospód.^[4][6]

The -d- of the Slavic word is unexplained.^[6] ESJS reports that most scholars derive it from an Indo-European alternation of Proto-Indo-European *pot- with *pod-, with Ancient Greek δεσπόζω (despózō) beside δεσπότης (despótēs) as a parallel, and finds Fraenkel's idea of an influence of свобода unconvincing.^[4][8] Derksen objects that the alternation does not work for Slavic because of Winter's law.^[6] Much, Hirt and Vaillant proposed a borrowing from an unattested Gothic compound, which ESJS doubts because the Gothic form is not recorded, and Vasmer rejects it together with a loan from Latin.^[4][8] Sadnik and Aitzetmüller reject Vaillant's separation of господа from the singular noun.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Gospel manuscripts it renders the Greek genitive Ancient Greek κυρίου (kuríou, “of the Lord”), as in и се ангелъ господьнь ста въ нихъ “and behold, the angel of the Lord stood by them” (L 2, 9 Zogr Mar As Sav Vat).^[3][1] The Codex Assemanianus and the Savvina kniga call the apostle James брата господьнѣ, “the brother of the Lord”, for Ancient Greek ἀδελφόθεος (adelphótheos).^[3][1]

Semantic evolution

The SJS has one main sense, “of the Lord”, translating the genitives τοῦ κυρίου, τοῦ θεοῦ, τοῦ Χριστοῦ and τοῦ σωτῆρος and the adjectives κυριακός and Ancient Greek δεσποτικός (despotikós).^[1][3] It is used very often of what belongs to God, as in господьни ѥсьмы “we are the Lord's” (R 14, 8).^[1] In the Codex Suprasliensis it also has its secular sense, “the master's”, and is used as a noun: a parable tells of the servant who squandered господьнѥ, “his master's goods”, for τὰ δεσποτικά (Supr 370, 11).^[3][1] SNSP counts more than 300 instances, from the Gospels and the Psalterium Sinaiticum (десница господьнѣ сътвори силѫ, Ps 117, 15) to the Euchologium Sinaiticum and the Suprasliensis.^[3]

Miklosich adds the Ostromir Gospel and Slovene gospodnji among its later witnesses.^[9] SlaVaComp records it for κυριακός in the Lexicon ecclesiasticum and for τοῦ κυρίου in a Serbian translation copied at the Rila monastery.^[10]

Timeline

• End of the 9th – 11th century – the Lexicon ecclesiasticum of the First Bulgarian Empire gives господьнь beside владꙑчьнь and господьскъ for κυριακός.^[10]
• 12th – 13th century – an East Slavic translation recorded by SlaVaComp uses the adjective.^[10]
• Until the beginning of the 15th century – a Serbian translation from the Rila monastery renders τοῦ κυρίου by господьнь.^[10]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of the Lord, the Lord's, belonging to God or Christ; for τοῦ κυρίου, τοῦ θεοῦ, κυριακός.^[1][3][2]
2. Of a master, the master's, also used as a noun for the master's property; for δεσποτικός.^[3][1]

Related words

• господь
• господьскъ
• господинъ
• господьство
• господꙑни
• госпожда
• Russian господень (gospodenʹ)

Usage notes

SNSP points to господинъ and господьскъ, which share the sense “of the lord, of the master”; the Lexicon ecclesiasticum also uses владꙑчьнь for κυριακός.^[3][10]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Kurz, Josef; Hauptová, Zoe (eds.) (1958–1997), Slovník jazyka staroslověnského / Lexicon linguae palaeoslovenicae, 4 vols. + supplements, Praha: Academia; digital ed. gorazd.org
2. ^ a b Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Slovník nejstarších staroslověnských památek (digital ed., Gorazd, Slovanský ústav AV ČR, gorazd.org); cf. Cejtlin, R. M.; Večerka, R.; Blagova, É. (eds.) (1994), Staroslavjanskij slovar' (po rukopisjam X–XI vekov), Moskva: Russkij jazyk
4. ^ a b c d e f g Havlová, Eva; Erhart, Adolf; Janyšková, Ilona (eds.) (1989–2022), Etymologický slovník jazyka staroslověnského, 21 fascicles, Praha: Academia / Brno: Tribun EU
5. ^ a b c Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 238
6. ^ a b c d e Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill
7. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
8. ^ a b c Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 1, 446-447
9. ^ Miklosich, Franz (1862–1865), Lexicon palaeoslovenico-graeco-latinum emendatum auctum, Vindobonae: Braumüller
10. ^ a b c d e SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de